Folding-machine.



No. 041,000. Patented 1an. 0, |900. w. Dowmm; 0 F. H. wENnT.

FOLDING MACHINE.

(Application led Mar. 24, 1898. Reng-awed June 16, 1899.)

WHA/5805s.- /./v vE/v rgs I Nrrn TATES PATENT Orrin.,

IVELLING'ION DOWNING AND FREDRICK II. VENDT, OF ERIE, PENN- SYLVANIA.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,000, dated January 9, 1900. Application filedMarch 24, 1898. Renewed .Tune 16, 1899. Serial No. 720,843. (No model.)

T0 Coll 't0/"wm it may concern: 4

Be it known that we, WELLINGTON DOWN- ING. and FREDRICK H. WENDT, citizens of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding-Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same. p

This invention relates to folding-machines; and it consists in certain improvements in the construction thereof, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows:

Figure l shows a side elevation of a folding-machine containing ourinvention. Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the same machine.

A marks the frame of the machine, B B the first-fold rolls, and C C the second-fold rolls.

drives the shaft d. The shaft d through suitable gearing drives the rolls B B and C C.-

'Ihe shaft E is also driven from the shaft d and has mounted upon it the cam e. The end of the lever E' rides on the cam e and gives to the rock-shaft E2 the proper movement to actuate the starting-blade F, which is operated by the rock-shaft E2 through the :medium of the arms F'. v The conveyer-tapes, which are indicated by dash-lines at g, are driven by the spools G and supported at the opposite side of the machine by theloose spools G. The tapes for conveying the paper from the iirst to the second fold rolls are indicated by the dash-lines at 7?, and pass over one of the iirst-fold rolls and loose spools, as in the ordinary construction.

All the mechanism just heretofore described does not differ materially from that now in general use.

Some diculty has been encountered with this class of machines in making the fold follow the lines of initial contact of the starting-blade with the paper. This difficulty has been largely due to the fact that when the supports for the paper at each side of the line of contact of the starting-blade have been so far apart that the span of the paper between them has been of considerable length the lighter papers have been apt to sag or to be sucked in by the rolls, so that folds of uniform register have not been produced. On the other hand, Where the supports in the machines now in use have been brought sufficiently close to the line of initial contact of the starting-blade to properly support the paper the angle of the span of paper 'when it has reached the bite of the rolls has been made so sharp as to be undesirable for various reasons,among which may be stated the smearing of paste on the starting-blade when pasting has been done and the difficulty in handling heavy glazed paper, which. has a tendency to slip out of register when the supports are placed too close together. In our invention the supports for the paper at each side of the line of contact of the startingblade are brought as close to the line of contact as is desired, and at the same time the angle of the span of paper is kept as obtuse as is desired during the furthermovementof the paper toward the bite of the rolls. In this way a perfect register is effected by giving to the paper the proper support for its initial movement and the closing in of the paper on the starting-blade during the latter part of the starting movement is obviated.

Our invention consists therefore, broadly, in providing movable supports for the paper at each side of the line of contact of the starting-blade, which may be moved apart as the paper is forced down toward the bite of thev rolls, so as to maintain as obtuse an angle of the span of paper as desired. In the construction shown this is accomplished in the following preferable manner: .Above the rolls B B are placed two auxiliary rolls I I, which form the supports for the paper at each side of the starting-blade. The rolls I I have their journal-pinsfi mounted in slotted bearings I I', which allow a lateral movement of the rolls I I. The bearing pins 't' extend through the slots in the bearings I into slides I2. The slides I2 extend through lugs t" on the frame, and a spring t2 is coiled around the slides I2 and, operating between the lugs i' and the shoulders 3 on the slides, press the rolls IOS I I toward each other or toward the line of contact of the starting-blade. A spreadingcam F2 is carried on the starting-blade and is so shaped and proportioned as to allow an initial action of the starting-blade upon the paper before effecting a movement of the supporting-rolls I. As the paper receives its initial start it has the support of the rolls I at the position necessary to insure a perfect starting of the paper by the starting-blade, and the spreading-cams F2 operate upon the rollsI so that as the starting-blade continues in its movement the supporting-rolls I are spread apart so as to maintain the angle desired in the paper at each side of the foldingline. In Fig. l the paper is marked J, and its location in the machine is indicated in Fig. 2 by dash-lines. As shown in Fig. 1 the paper has received its initial movement and has the support of the rolls I at each side of the starting-blade and the spreader-cam has just reached a position to begin the spreading movement of the supporting-rolls.

It will be noted that in the construction shown the cam-spreader by its contact with the su pporting-rolls and downward movement between them effects a rotary movement of the rolls in proportion to the movement of the paper, so that the movement of the paper over them is facilitated.

What we claim as new is- 1. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of folding-rolls; supports for the paper at each side of the folding-line of said rolls; a means for varyin g the dist-ance between said supports with the movement of the paper toward the bite of said rolls.

2. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of folding-rolls 5 supports for the paper arranged above said rolls, and at each side of the folding-line thereof; a means for spreading said supports with each movement of a folding-line of the paper from said supports toward the bite of said rolls.

3. Inafolding-machine, the combination of a pair of folding-rolls; a pair of auxiliary rolls arranged above said folding-rolls and, in position to support the paper to be folded; and means for spreading said rolls with each movement of a folding-line of the paper from said supports toward the bite of said rolls.

4. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of folding-rolls; supporting-rolls for the paper arranged above said rolls in position to support the paper to be folded; means for spreading said supporting rolls with each movement of a folding-line of the paper from said supporting-rolls toward the bite of said folding-rolls; and means for rotating the supporting-rolls during their spreading movement.

5. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of folding-rolls; supports arranged at each side of the folding-line thereof for supporting the paper to be folded; springs ar ranged to press said supports in one direction; and a cam mechanism for operating said supports in the opposite direction.

6. In afolding-machine, the combination of the folding-rolls, B B; the supports, I I; the supporting-blade, F; the cams, F2 F2; the slotted bearings, I' 1'; and the spring-actuating slides, I2.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WELLINGTON DOWNING. FREDRIGK Il. WENDT. Witnesses:

M. BURY, H. C. LORD. 

